Article July 6, 1974 Issue

A Potent Cure for Depression

SAMUEL FIELDING GRENEKER

Although it is often believed that mental depression is a disease and can be cured materially by, for instance, applying electric shocks to the brain or administering drugs, there is a spiritually scientific answer. Christian Science takes the stand that prolonged sadness and the problems causing it can be totally drained away by an understanding of the love of God, divine Mind, for all His children, and His complete control over their lives.

When one is deeply depressed, the world may seem mired in a bog of strife, loneliness, and misery. The people who do seem genuinely happy may only heighten the sufferer's sense of misery by making him aware of all he lacks. Whether he needs loving companionship, for instance, or perhaps more income or peace of mind about world affairs, he can free himself from despair by gaining the spiritual realization that God loves all His children dearly and is tenderly providing for their every need at all times.

Mrs. Eddy tells us in Science and Health, "Love is impartial and universal in its adaptation and bestowals."^{Science and Health, p. 13;} And in Psalms we read, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."^{Ps. 46:1;} But how, one may ask, may a deeply troubled person avail himself of this potent cure for depression? He needs to come to realize that all true being, including his own, is spiritual, residing in God, good. He can find God through cultivating spiritual sense. Science and Health states, "Spiritual sense is a conscious, constant capacity to understand God."^{Science and Health, p. 209.} This awareness of the omnipresence and omnipotence of God grows as one studies daily the deep spiritual truths of the Bible and Science and Health.